With the advent of summer in its sweltering heat, it brings with it an annoying and heavy guest: flying insects and mosquitoes.

To avoid disturbing her, many resort to the use of herbs believed to have the ability to expel these vermin.

Do plants have the ability to expel them?

And what are these plants?

And what makes it so?

How do mosquitoes and insects target humans?

Mosquitoes and many other biting insects target their victims through the odors and gases that our bodies emit such as carbon dioxide and sweat.

Mosquitoes, for example, can be attracted to the carbon dioxide in our breath from up to 50 metres.

Insects detect odors when that volatile odor binds to odor receptor proteins in neurons, often found on antennae and palps of the insect's upper jaw.

A new scientific study recently published in the journal Nature showed that the secretions of sebaceous glands circulating in hair follicles and throughout the human skin activate a unique pathway in the nervous system of the annoying female mosquito (Egyptian) one of the types of disease-carrying mosquitoes.

The researchers also revealed that it has receptors that have the ability to detect lactic acid and other human citrus odors.

Human odors appear to be more attractive to mosquitoes than those of animals, according to the study.

Mosquitoes are attracted to human sebum and sweat from a distance of 50 meters (Rupixel)

Are there insect repellent plants?

Scientific studies have proven that many plants actually contain compounds that they use to prevent the attack of insects that feed on the plant.

These chemicals fall into several categories, including insect repellents, feed deterrents, and poisons.

Although the primary functions of these compounds are to defend the plant against the insects that feed on it, some of them are also effective against mosquitoes and other winged insects, especially the volatile components that are released after damaging the leaves of these plants in order to deter herbivores.

Studies have shown strong responses from mosquito odor receptors to some volatile substances that appear to be highly toxic to insects.

These substances disrupt the odor receptors that insects use to find us, and thus act as natural mosquito repellents.

However, planting these plants in your garden is usually not enough to keep insects away.

In most cases, a much stronger and more concentrated amount of plant scent is needed to get rid of insects.

Therefore, the strong-smelling essential oils are extracted from these plants by crushing their leaves or burning their branches.

Eucalyptus, a mosquito repellent (Flickr)

What plants have insect repellent properties?

eucalyptus tree

Eucalyptus is called eucalyptus in the Levant, eucalyptus in Egypt, and eucalyptus in Tunisia.

And it is an effective mosquito repellent, according to the site "Earth.com", especially when using its oil, which is known for its many medicinal benefits.

This type of plant can provide an amazing 95% protection rate, according to some studies.

The chemical compounds it produces can also be used to protect itself as a powerful preventative insect repellent.

Insects avoid approaching lavender (pixels)

lavender plant

Lavender is a mosquito repellent plant, and you may have noticed that insects avoid approaching lavender bushes.

This plant can drive away moths, fleas and flies as well.

One method used for this purpose is to put small linen bags containing dried lavender inside the drawers where you keep your clothes.

Lavender can also be planted around the house or in pots placed on windowsills and porches to help keep insect pests outside.

Mint has effective capabilities to deter different types of insects (Pixehair)

mint

According to the Mosquito Reviews website, scientific studies have shown that peppermint plants of all kinds have effective capabilities to deter common types of insects such as wasps, ants, and cockroaches.

Studies have been conducted on a specific type of peppermint (Mentha piperita) and found that this plant can be effective in deterring mosquitoes for up to 45 minutes when applied in the form of the essential oil, and that peppermint oil is almost 100% effective in preventing one type of mosquito. Carrier of diseases from stings.

Rosemary Insect Repellent (Pixabi)

Rosemary

Rosemary Salvia rosmarinus is an evergreen woody herb that belongs to the mint family.

It is not only a repellent to mosquitoes, but also to other insects that damage the plants planted near them.

Rosemary oil is used with other oils in the composition of some aromatic materials used as a strong preventive spray on the skin to repel mosquitoes.

Basil is a mosquito repellent in addition to many other uses (Flickr)

basil

Basil or basil, Ocimum basilicum, is an aromatic annual herbaceous plant that belongs to the oral family as well.

It is used in cosmetology, cooking and therapy.

It is also considered a mosquito repellent.

Therefore, many people accept to grow it and put some of it in the windows, which allows deterring unwanted insects from flying through the open window in addition to its other uses.

Citronella is known for its insect repellent properties (Flickr)

citronella herb

Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus) is an aromatic perennial plant that has proven mosquito repellent capabilities thanks to the citronella oil contained within its leaves.

It's called the mosquito plant, and it emits a potent scent that mosquitoes don't like, according to the University of California's Agriculture and Natural Resources website.

This plant is especially used by crushing its leaves and rubbing it on bare skin to ward off biting insects, or by extracting its oil, which is included in the composition of many environmentally friendly insect repellents.

Lemon thyme repels mosquitoes by burning its dry leaves as incense (Flickr)

lemon thyme

Lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus) is a plant about 40 centimeters tall, which grows in almost all regions of the world.

It has a citrus-like aroma.

It can be used as an insect repellent by burning its dry leaves (in the form of incense for example) or extracting its essential oil to keep annoying insects away.

The best way to prevent mosquito bites in the summer is to eliminate their spawning places, especially around stagnant water, in a timely manner.

Most mosquitoes can go from egg stage to adult stage in just two weeks.